Behind Closed Doors?: Successful Consumer Products and the Innovation-for-Hire Debate

In consumer product development, many leading companies seem to have an innate understanding of how to innovate from within, and therefore keep the innovation efforts inside their walls. Other companies succeed by involving outsiders - in the form of innovation-for-hire specialty firms. Why is this, and is it possible that companies relying on outsiders can create the conditions necessary for internal innovation? Is it even worth the effort? This book explores the popular methods for achieving product innovation by examining the leading literature on the subject, as well as providing insight from some of the top innovators working today. The author also presents his own challenging notions about why internal innovation persists, and when innovation is better left to outside specialists. The implications help to widen our understanding of how innovation works, how to foster creativity, and how to successfully bring a product to market. This book is a must-read for management, marketing professionals, and anyone who has ever wondered why some teams create exceptional products and others miss the mark.